Due to a national shortage of primary care doctors, the federal government has invested in developing residency programs in neglected rural areas. In Delaware, the number of full-time primary care physicians declined 6 percent from 2013 to 2018, according to a University of Delaware study.

Both Delaware systems have chosen to focus on family medicine in their residency programs. The Bayhealth program will include six residents per year, and the Beebe program will include four residents per year.